The survey, conducted by catalogue store Argos to celebrate its 35th birthday, looked at the top toys in that period.

Despite the coloured bricks being most popular, with 56 per cent rating them their childhood favourite, it was Scalextric that Britons always wanted but never got.

A quarter of all men polled said they had longed to own a set but never got one.

The miniature building blocks also appear to be a timeless favourite, as they still feature in Argos's top ten toys for 2008.

The Lego Star Wars set and iconic Rubik's Cube both made it into the list, following the retro trend seen in many retailers’ lists released throughout the month.

Ian Chaplin, toys trading manager for Argos, said: "A key toy trend for winter 2008 is high-tech, with the strong emergence of electronic and gaming toys.
But there is also a revitalisation of classics like Lego and Rubik's Cube, and with kids growing up fast these traditional classics will always be important in offering parents a balance of traditional and modern toys for their children."

Licensed toys are also featured strongly in this year's favourites.

Argos' top ten prediction:

• Leapfrog Tag Reading System
• In the Night Garden Upsy Daisy and Her Chase 'n' Play Bed
• Fisher-Price Kid-Tough Digital Camera
• High School Musical Figurine 6 Pack
• Girl Tech Stylin' Studio
• Baby Born with Magic Potty
• Bop It Extreme
• Lego Star Wars
• Rubik's Cube
• Ben 10 Omnitrix

Argos interviewed more than 1,000 people aged 16 and upwards from around the country in its poll on the nation's favourite toy.

The Tiger Electronics Massively Mini Media Player (TEMMMP) is the tiniest Portable-Media-Player designed for the children who are deeply keen in using these electronics for longer period of time to get the maximum entertainment. This electronic tool has a diminutive multi-colored screen which appears on three different colors and also comes with ear buds which twofold as a lanyard letting your children have on the player around his or her neckline. The TEMMMP has a sufficient amount of Internal-Memory to store one hour of video, two hours of music and up to 1,200 digital photos, while other elements include Windows software for packing media on the player, touch screen controls and a rechargeable battery.

2. Disney Mix Sticks MP3 Player

Disney Mix Sticks are skillfully intended MP3 players which get nearer into four diverse styles for kids containing Disney Princesses (DP) and Tinker Bell Themes (RBT). These players can take part in MP3 and WMA audio files for at least eight hours on a rechargeable battery and can consist of 60 songs devoid of an Optional Memory Card (OPC). Music can be copied to a player’s memory through a computer and a meticulous unabridged Disney Mix Clip album can be included into the Mix Stick’s Internal Memory Card Slot (IMCS).

3. LeapFrog Leapster Multimedia Learning System

The Leapfrog Leapster Multimedia Learning System is designed for four to six years old children that are comprised of diverse educational games on cartridges along with characters including Dora the Explorer and the Disney Princesses to instruct school children in reading mathematics, vocabulary and other electronic learning and skills. By having this electronic tool, most of the children can read and understand quickly electronic books, creating synthetic and artistic designs and watching different videos. Control is handled in course of Multi-Directional Control Pad or Touch-Sensitive Color Screen. Sound is heeded through headphones and a built-in speaker. The Leapster uses 4 AA batteries for creating the energy.

4. LeapFrog FLY Pentop Computer

The LeapFrog FLY Pentop Computer is an inventive design. It is a tiny computer surrounded by a pen works with particular paper and a built-in scanner to make available interactive learning especially for the children. The FLY provides an audio response to its user as he or she interconnects with out of the ordinary FLYware cartridges by inscription or sketching. In one instance, a child can pencil in a calculator and put in a maneuver to heed the answer notified to them. Kids can follow their schedules and get easy to hear reminders of forthcoming events. Games are as well obtainable.

5. Hasbro VideoNow Color FX Player

The VideoNow Color FX Player along with 2.3-inch LCD color screen is formulated for the children over 5. It plays video discs which control unabridged episodes of cartoons including SpongeBob, SquarePants and other well-liked kid gracious programming like music videos and television shows. Sound is heard by the built-in speaker or a headphone jack. Viewing time is equipped with six hours on one set of AA batteries. It moves toward three gem-like colors like pink, green, blue and a reasonably small. While other elements include an incorporated LCD Backlight, Contrast Control and a Channel for an optional-car-power-adapter.

6. Fisher Price Kid Tough FP3 Player

The Fisher Price Kid Tough FP3 Player is basically put a MP3 player made for the children. This player provides your kids’ full-size buttons for trouble-free usage and it is a long-lasting design and a backlit 1.4-inch LCD screen which uses icons to guide your children build his or her choices. This player carries on two hours provides kids a significant amount of leisure which can see in form of music you copy to its inner memory and kid-friendly songs and stories you come by and download through an extraordinary online store. Other elements take in kid sized headphones, flexible SD memory card for further storage space and a break free neckline strap.

In infancy, babies have a blurred vision, and cannot focus clearly on things at a distance. So their first memories are invariably associated with color. Red, white and black are among the first colors they can observe and distinguish between. An infant should therefore be given a lot of soft toys in bright colors. Rattles, wind chimes, cot toys, or brightly colored mobiles are also exciting for a kid as the noise and shape attracts them and engages their curiosity.

At a slightly older age, educational toys like wooden blocks of various colors and shapes teach children about colors, shapes and sizes. These toys teach a child interactive and interpretive skills at a very basic level. Cognitive skills also start getting developed when variations of these toys are given, for example, when a child has to sort the blocks according to color, or drop them in boxes depending on the size or shape.

Games like puzzles, jigsaws, beads, construction toys help promote the reasoning and analytical abilities in a child. Books with alphabets, numericals, or pictures are also great learning toys for children. They can observe the different objects in nature and relate them to the information in the books. This is probably one of the fastest learning processes in a child. Often there are books which allow a child to listen to the sounds made by animals, or even get a feel of their furs and hence distinguish one from the other.

Different furniture around the room can also be a learning toy for the child. For example, a baby will quickly observe and learn that meals are to be had at the dining table, while the sofas are places where one lounges. Similarly, the bath tub is a fascinating place for a toddler as he/ she subconsciously reacts to the interplay between the body and the water, and the ripples caused by the movements.

Child psychologists and researchers have established the deep connection between the child’s overall development and the learning toys, and there is a constant effort to create unique learning toys that will enhance and nurture the development in babies.

Find unique high quality learning toys at Little Zen Minds that stimulate the children's development but are fun to play with is essential.

Therefore, it is essential that you opt for some special toys for your toddlers, which are both fun and educational and will help them to develop. With such a large number of toys available, you can conveniently get the appropriate toys that suit both the age and skills level of your toddler.

It is always better to opt for the functional toddler toys that will help to develop and stimulate the various mental activities of your tot. Moving and musical games are some of preferred activities of every toddler. Thereby, you can easily invest for small keyboard especially designed for the small fingers as well as for some plastic cubes that comes with various shapes to develop the musculature and nimbleness of your kid. These cubes will also help to develop their imagination and to be creative while playing construction games. Books and DVDs are also essential toddler toys. The beautiful colored pictures and the animated cartoons will help them to learn identifying different things as well as to enrich their vocabulary. This will also help them to be expressive.

The following are some of the toddler toys that your tot will simply love to play with.

• Formulino: It is a push toy vehicle that comes with a steer. It also includes a handlebar and helps your toddler to be alert while driving this wooden push toy for hours and hours.

• Roller: These roller are usually bright and colorful and contains a wooden ball inside it to create sound as it hits the panels. This toddler toy helps to develop the vision and sense of hearing of your kid.

• Musical DVD’s: This type of toddler toys will enrich the hearing sense and vision of your child. They can learn to identify different animals, flowers, fruits and colors. In addition, these musical DVD’s will help to teach them nursery rhymes and songs easily.

• Eco-Friendly Play Sets: Wonderworld makes a series of quality, educational wooden toys, specially designed and created for children ages one to five. These play sets will provide hours of entertainment for children and help keep their minds active. Choose from a play washing machine, complete with working knobs or a carpentry set, including a hammer, screwdriver and other accessories. All play sets are made of durable and natural rubber-wood.

• Eco-Friendly Stuffed Animals: Challenge and Fun Inc. produces a line of natural and organic stuffed animals, designed to encourage interaction and open-ended play in children of all ages. Challenge and Fun Inc.'s soft, stuffed toys are made with 100% organic cotton, pure wool and all dyes are certified to meet strict Oeko-Tex standards. Some of the stuffed animals feature a pull-cord music box, while others are simply cuddly soft toys designed to bring out the imagination in your child.

• Eco-Friendly Building Blocks: Kapla creates high quality building block sets made from 100% natural pine wood, produced from certified renewable forests in France. These building blocks are ideal for pre-school builders as well as for older children. These toys allow for the development of logical thinking skills, building techniques, the ability to follow instructions, hand to eye and spatial coordination and fine motor skills. With these quality Kapla sets, children can build simple towers, bridges and even whole cities!

These are just a few examples of eco-friendly toys that are out there. There are many options to choose from, just do some research before shopping and you should be fine. A couple of things to look for:

• Buy stuffed animals made from organic cotton and pure wool
  
• Buy natural wood toys
  
• Make sure that all dyes used are water-based dyes or otherwise natural or organic
  
• Toys made of fabric should be labeled as flame resistant or flame retardant
  
• Make sure painted toys are covered with a lead-free paint

Wooden moveable Crocodile from Anamalz toy eco friendly US $8.22

Wooden moveable Zebra from Anamalz toy eco friendly US $8.22

Wooden moveable Cow from Anamalz toy eco friendly US $8.22

Wooden moveable Emu from Anamalz toy eco friendly US $8.22

Aussie Natruals ABO Eco Friendly Wagga Wool Dog Toy US $4.99

Eco Friendly Dog Toy Squeak Hemp Fetch Play Large Man US $5.99

Eco Friendly Dog Toy Squeak Hemp Fetch Play Small Man US $4.99

Eco Friendly Dog Toy Squeak Hemp Fetch Play Small Bone US $4.99

Eco Friendly Dog Toy Squeak Hemp Fetch Play Large Bone US $5.99

Aussie Naturals Eco Friendly Dog Wool Bear Toy Play US $9.99

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There are many toys sets serve multiple purposes in both humans and animals.  They not only help in the development of physical and mental skills which are necessary in kid's later life, and also help them acquire and improve essential life skills.  Creativity, self-confidence, independence, responsibility, and integrity can all be cultivated through the use of carefully selected toys sets.

At play, kids can learn problem solving skills, how to communicate with other people, and how to enriching creative skills and developing leadership skills simultaneously.  As a parent, it is important to know how to choose the appropriate and educational toys sets for your kids.

One guide that I think each parent should have, is the "Toy Box Leadership: Leadership Lessons from the Toys You Loved as a Child."  As it reaches you back into your childhood and recapture the leadership principles you learned from you favorite toys, and you can also do that for you kids.

It has 208 pages and is very interesting to read.  It covers the creation and subsequent popularity of ten toys (i.e. LEGO Bricks, Slinky Dog, Play-Doh, the yo-yo, Mr. Potato Head and Rubik's Cube, the rocking horse, little green plastic army men, Lite-Brite, and Weebles) and insights on leadership lessons to be learned from each. 

So you can see that there are quite a few things to know about many kinds of toys sets.  An important parenting skill is to choose the right toys sets for your kids.